Passport costs rising

The cost of applying for an adult passport has gone up by $8, and will go up by another $17 over the next two years. Internal Affairs Minister Jan Tinetti confirmed the increases on Wednesday, saying they were the result of a review by her department. She said the price of applying for an adult passport has been increased from $191 to $199, with child passport costs rising from $111 to $115. In May next year, the cost will increase further to $206 and $120; and in the following year to $215 and $125. Tinetti said the number of passport applications had dropped since before the pandemic – from 730,000 in the 2018/19 year to just 150,000 in 2020/21 – which meant the costs of administration were not being covered. The Government had tried to keep the increase to a minimum because of existing cost of living pressures, she said.